During Microsoft's presentation at E3 today, the company announced a new feature that allows players to pay for access to games while they are still in development, acting as beta testers whose feedback might shape the game's ultimate form. It's called "Game Preview" and it is launching this afternoon.
This is a feature which has been available for some time in the world of PC games and through services like Steam, where it's called "early access." It's appearance on the Xbox platform, along with the announcement of backwards compatibility and access to mods, shows the company is trying to bring some the most popular features of PC gaming to the console world.
Game Preview starts today with early access to two upcoming title: The Long Dark and Elite Dangerous.